Fabrication of Lens Array Using a 3D Printer and Vacuum Forming

We fabricated a lens array using a 3D printer, vacuum forming, and soft moulding techniques. A 3D printer was used to print the first prototype of the lens array, and vacuum forming was used to smooth the surface of the prototype with a melted plastic sheet. The smoothed prototype was used to create a soft mould using polydimethylsiloxane. Thermal epoxy was poured into a soft mould and allowed to harden to form transparent epoxy lens arrays. The fabricated lens array exhibited good images of objects and demonstrated its performance as a lens. In addition, the focal length of the lens arrays was varied by changing the radius of curvature of the prototype.